WELLINGTON TOPICS.

Taranaki Daily News, 31 March 1917, Page 7

WELLINGTON TOPICS.

SECOND DIVISION. FORMATION OF LEAGUE, (From Our Own Correspondent). Wellington, March 28. The meeting held last night for the purpose of forming a Second Division Lesgue in Wellington very properly opened its proceedings by affirming "its loyalty to his Majesty the King and his Government in New Zealand and its determination to assist in every possible way to carry the war to a successful conclusion," The sentiments so admirably expressed in the resolution were emphasised by all th« principal speakers. But the military fciHd continues a Utile perturbed by the avowed objects of tile League. The members are to get together and to place iheir views and their claims before the Government; they ».ro to remember that they owe a duty to their families as well as to the State, and, without being political, they are to bring pressure to bear upon the politicians to secure more generous allowances for their dependents and better conditions for themselves. The organisation still remains a somewhat hazardous experiment) but if its management is as tactful as its promises are fair it may avoid the pitfalls to which it has been consigned by many of its critics.

'AUSTRALIAN SICKNESS. 'A New Zealand journalist just returned from a flying visit to the Commonwealth gives a depressing account of the average Australian's attitude towards the war. "He has not attitude," he deplores, "except one of indolent indifference. He isn't a shirker in the, sense Of setting ont deliberately to avoid his duty to the State and the Umpire. He is athletic, keen about things hap-' pening at his own door, and concerned, according to his dim and paltry lights, about the. future of his country. But his patriotism carries him no furthor than the suburbs of Sydney or Melbourne, and finds no inspiration beyond his own sordid politics." With all this, it is not surprising to learn that recruiting is languishing, that such eloquent appeals to the hearts and souls of the people as Sir Ernest Shackleton made when passing through Sydney fell,.on deaf ears and that what remains of the virile manhood of tile great island continent is shocked and ashamed. Australia i 3 writing a. page of its history which will make sad reading for its future generations. (

REDUCED RAILWAY SERVICES. It is reported now, apparently with no more authority than can be obtained from current rumors, that the railway economies which have been foreshadowed for some time past will include the discontinuance of one of the expresses oil each of the trunk lines, the reduction of suburban services to the trains regularly used by workers, and the abolition of all raco and show excursions. Tho discontinuance of the second expresses and of superfluous -suburban trains has been generally expected, but it has been thought, since the General Manager's statement on the subject, that the excursion trains would continue to run with the fares raised to tlio ordinary rates till it was shown they were unprofitable under this arrangement. Thefe still is talk of an all-round increase in Tares, and a month or two ago the Minister mentioned this as a possibility, but it is believed now that the abolition of excursion and eonsession fares irall the authorities had in their minds and that the ordinary charges will not be disturbed ior the present. WAR AND SPORT. Racing in war time is not being so eagerly discussed in Wellington as it appears to be in Christchurch, perhaps because the sporting element in the community is more .widely distributed in the North than it is in the South; but there is a pretty general feeling that the racing clubs, which are not money-making concerns, may be trusted td settle the matter between themselves and with the Government onfair and reasonable lines. Raiing men. owners and trainers of horses that is, are offering no serious j objection to the proposal to confine the sport during war time to the principal courses, but, such an arrangement would not find favor with the country people in the North Island who, much more than the country people in the* South, make their local race meeting one of their few annual holidays and celebrate it rather as a day of rest and recreation than as. a saturnalia of gambling. But even these people are displaying no great interest in the matter if or the present. They will be content to await the recommendations of the Racing Conference and then to see how they are affected by them,